Trade will be at the top of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s agenda as he sets off for China and the next phase of a diplomatic blitz.

Fresh from last week’s state visit to Washington, Albanese takes off again on Saturday, for Beijing and Shanghai for the first visit to China by an Australian leader since 2016 and a total breakdown in relations.

The PM, who has faced conflicting criticism over his itinerary this month, said the travel would boost trading ties and the national interest.

“Australia needs to engage with the world; we need to have a seat at the table, and my government’s determined to do so,” he said.

Albanese will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and attend the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Some commentators have suggested that the three-day trip risks jeopardising relations with the US. But Albanese said President Joe Biden had welcomed his mission to normalise trade relations with China.

“What we need to do is to have more dialogue and discussion because out of that comes greater understanding,” he said.

Albanese’s comments come on the heels of an announcement that the US is increasing its efforts to mend damaged trade ties with Beijing.

Biden is expected to meet Xi next month at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in San Francisco.

That visit, the Chinese premier’s first on American soil in nearly seven years, comes after a succession of senior American officials visited Beijing seeking to offset the deterioration in the countries’ trading ties.

“We believe that the world is big enough for both of our countries to thrive,” Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, said in Beijing in July.

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi met Biden in Washington on Friday and told the US President that Beijing wanted to build an improved relationship based on “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win co-operation”, state media reported.

Australia’s trade with China accounts for more than 35 per cent of Australia’s exports.

But high-level dialogue with Beijing resumed last year only after China imposed tariffs that dealt a $24 billion blow to Australian exports following a total breakdown in diplomatic relations.

In a breakthrough, China agreed to review the last significant remaining trade barrier, a tariff on wine that dealt a $1.2 billion blow to Australian producers.

“Very clearly, it’s in Australia’s interest to engage with China as the major source of our trade,” Albanese said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who suggested Australia might “prepare for war” with China during the last election campaign, said on Sunday that he was “very happy” about next week’s trip and wanted to see trade increase.

But he criticised Albanese for not heeding his call to add another destination to his travel schedule this month: Israel.

Dutton said he would not himself make a trip to Tel Aviv.

“I’ve certainly given it consideration,” he said. “My judgment is that that’s not the best use of my time.”

Last week, senior members of Dutton’s frontbench derided Albanese for taking too many trips abroad.